The Simpsons episode
"Life on the Fast Lane"
Jacques gives Marge her own bowling glove.
Episode no.	9
Prod. code	7G11
Orig. airdate	March 18, 1990
Show runner(s)	James L. Brooks Matt Groening Sam Simon
Written by	John Swartzwelder
Directed by	David Silverman
Guest star(s)	Albert Brooks as Jacques
DVD commentary	Matt Groening James L. Brooks David Silverman Al Jean
Season 1 December 17, 1989 – May 13, 1990
Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire Bart the Genius Homer's Odyssey There's No Disgrace Like Home Bart the General Moaning Lisa The Call of the Simpsons The Telltale Head Life on the Fast Lane Homer's Night Out The Crepes of Wrath Krusty Gets Busted Some Enchanted Evening
List of all The Simpsons episodes

"Life on the Fast Lane", also known as "Jacques To Be Wild",^[1] is the ninth episode of The Simpsons first season, which originally aired on March 18, 1990.^[2] It was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by David Silverman.^[2] Albert Brooks guest starred as Jacques, with him being credited as "A. Brooks".^[1][2] The episode deals with Marge becoming infatuated with Jacques, a French bowling instructor.^[2] It won the Emmy Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less) in 1990. Simpsons redirects here. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 77th day of the year (78th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... James L. Brooks James L. Brooks (born May 9, 1940) is an American producer, writer, and film director. ... Matthew Abram Groening (born February 15, 1954[2] in Portland, Oregon;[3] his family name is pronounced ) is an Emmy Award-winning American cartoonist and the creator of The Simpsons,[4] Futurama and the weekly comic strip Life in Hell. ... Sam Simon was one of the original developers of The Simpsons, along with Matt Groening and James L. Brooks. ... The Simpsons writing staff in season 13, including current show runner Al Jean (fourth from left in middle row) and previous show runners Mike Scully (first from left in back row), David Mirkin (sixth from left in back row), and Mike Reiss (fourth from left in back row). ... One of the few pictures of John Swartzwelder. ... The three people are caricatures of (left to right) Rich Moore, Wes Archer and David Silverman[1] The following is a list of directors who have worked on the Fox animated television series The Simpsons. ... David Silverman (b. ... (left to right) Elvis Costello, Tom Petty, Keith Richards, Homer, Mick Jagger, Lenny Kravitz and Brian Setzer guest starred in the heavily promoted season 14 episode How I Spent My Strummer Vacation. This is a list of guest stars who appeared on The Simpsons. ... Albert Brooks (born July 22, 1947 as Albert Lawrence Einstein) is an Academy Award nominated American actor, writer, comedian and director. ... The Simpsons DVD season boxsets have been released since 2001 in different regions all over the world. ... Matthew Abram Groening (born February 15, 1954[2] in Portland, Oregon;[3] his family name is pronounced ) is an Emmy Award-winning American cartoonist and the creator of The Simpsons,[4] Futurama and the weekly comic strip Life in Hell. ... James L. Brooks James L. Brooks (born May 9, 1940) is an American producer, writer, and film director. ... David Silverman (b. ... Al Jean is a TV comedy writer most known for his work on The Simpsons. ... The first season of The Simpsons originally aired between December 1989 and May 1990. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... May 13 is the 133rd day of the year (134th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire, also known as The Simpsons Christmas Special,[2] is the first episode of The Simpsons to air. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Homers Odyssey is the third full length episode of The Simpsons, that originally aired January 21, 1990. ... Theres No Disgrace Like Home is the fourth full length episode of The Simpsons. ... Bart the General is the fifth full length episode of The Simpsons. ... Moaning Lisa is the sixth full-length episode of The Simpsons. ... The Call of the Simpsons is the seventh episode of The Simpsons. ... The Telltale Head was the eighth episode of The Simpsons. ... Homers Night Out is the tenth episode of The Simpsons from the first season. ... “The Crepes of Wrath” is the eleventh episode of The Simpsons first season. ... Krusty Gets Busted is the 12th episode of the first season of The Simpsons. ... This article is about the Simpsons episode; for other uses see Some Enchanted Evening (disambiguation). ... The following is an episode list for the Fox animated television series The Simpsons. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... The first season of The Simpsons originally aired between December 1989 and May 1990. ... is the 77th day of the year (78th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... One of the few pictures of John Swartzwelder. ... David Silverman (b. ... Albert Brooks (born July 22, 1947 as Albert Lawrence Einstein) is an Academy Award nominated American actor, writer, comedian and director. ... Marjorie Marge Simpson (née Bouvier) is a fictional character featured in the animated television series The Simpsons and is voiced by Julie Kavner. ... A bowler releases the ball. ... This is a list of the winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour). ...

Plot

It is Marge's 34th birthday, and her gifts include a gallon of cheap "French" perfume from Bart and a homemade macaroni-and-glue card from Lisa. However, Homer has completely forgotten about the date. He quickly leaves to go to the Springfield Mall to buy Marge a last-minute gift and impulsively settles on an expensive bowling ball. The birthday party takes place at the Singing Sirloin, a restaurant featuring singing waiters, recommended by Patty and Selma. Marge is highly insulted that her primary "gift" is something Homer selfishly wants for his own use, even going to the extent of having the ball engraved with his name. To spite him, Marge decides to keep it and use it anyway. Bart and his sister Lisa as news anchors. ... Lisa Marie Simpson is a character in the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Yeardley Smith; Lisa is the only character Smith voices on a regular basis. ... Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Dan Castellaneta. ... Springfield is a fictionalized version of Springfield, Vermont, in which the animated American sitcom The Simpsons is set. ... A ten-pin bowling ball and two pins A bowling ball is a round ball made from rubber, urethane, plastic, reactive resin (solid, particle, or pearl) or a combination of these materials which is used in the sport of bowling. ... This article or section should be merged with Selma Bouvier Patty Bouvier (voiced by Julie Kavner), a fictional character on The Simpsons, is one of Marges two cynical chain-smoking sisters (the other is Selma). ... This article or section should be merged with Patty Bouvier Selma Bouvier (voiced by Julie Kavner) is a fictional character featured in the animated television series The Simpsons. ...

Marge goes bowling for the first time ever, but is unsuccessful. At the bowling alley she meets Jacques, a handsome French bowling instructor in the next lane, who offers her bowling lessons. She finds in Jacques a sensitive and charming man, nearly the exact opposite of Homer. After one "lesson", Jacques invites her to have brunch with him. Although she feels guilty, she agrees.

On their brunch date they encounter Helen Lovejoy, a known gossip who speculates about what Marge is doing having brunch with a man who is not her husband. Jacques assures her that it is merely a bowling lesson. However, when Helen is out of earshot, Jacques invites Marge to his apartment. Marge accepts the invitation, but has a moral dilemma en route. She reaches a fork in the road, one direction leading to Jacques' apartment, the other to the Springfield Nuclear Plant where Homer is working. After much deliberation, she proceeds to the plant, where she tells Homer she loves him. Homer happily leaves work with Marge in his arms. This page provides information on characters on The Simpsons who do not have their own articles. ... An ethical dilemma is a situation that will often involve an apparent conflict between moral imperatives, in which to obey one would result in transgressing another. ... A nuclear power station. ...

Production

When the episode was originally planned, it called for Albert Brooks to voice "Björn", a Swedish tennis instructor, but Brooks thought it would be funnier to make the character French and so the change was made. The title was originally to be "Bjorn to Be Wild",^[3][4] thus accounting for the episodes alternate title "Jacques to Be Wild".^[1] During Marge's phone conversation with Patty and Selma, Maggie can be seen sucking her pacifier repeatedly, a concept dropped in later episodes as it was deemed too much of a distraction from the dialogue.^[4] The original backstory for Barney's Bowlerama was that it was owned by Barney Gumble. Over time it changed to Barney just being an employee,^[5] as the writers could not imagine Barney owning anything.^[6] It was later revealed that Barney's uncle was the owner.^[4] Homer's line, "too exciting", when he sees the lingerie store was written by James L. Brooks,^[5] and the exterior of the Bowlerama was designed by No Doubt member Eric Stefani.^[4] Albert Brooks improvised almost all of his dialogue, producing over three hours of material.^[7] Marge's laugh was an ad-libbed, natural laugh by Julie Kavner, who was laughing at something Albert Brooks has just said.^[4] The line "four onion rings!" was one the many lines that Brooks ad-libbed and when saying it, Jacques loses his French accent.^[4] An extended audio clip of Albert Brooks' unused dialogue was made available on "Disc Three" of The Simpsons The Complete First Season DVD.^[8] The sequence when the family throw the pizza box away was specifically designed by John Swartzwelder to look surreal, with the family panning into each other.^[4] The moon was designed to resemble a bowling ball in the scene in which Jacques drops Marge home.^[6] The restaurant that Jacques and Marge attend is called "Shorty's"; it was originally intended that a chef's hat would be shown moving around in the background, implying that the owner was short, but the concept was dropped as it seemed to be too much of a silly idea.^[5] The episode's conclusion is a reference to An Officer and a Gentleman, which David Silverman had to watch first, so that he knew how to set the scene out.^[4] The episode also marks the first appearances of Lenny Leonard and Helen Lovejoy.^[1] For other uses, see Tennis (disambiguation). ... The Bouvier Sisters (Patricia Patty and Selma, voiced by Julie Kavner) are fictional characters on The Simpsons. ... Barnard Barney Gumble (born April 20[1]) is a character on The Simpsons, voiced by Dan Castellaneta. ... James L. Brooks James L. Brooks (born May 9, 1940) is an American producer, writer, and film director. ... No Doubt is a third wave ska band from Anaheim, California, United States. ... Eric Matthew Stefani (born June 17, 1967, in Fullerton, California) is an American pop musician, former Simpsons animator, and Grammy-nominated composer and writer. ... Julie Deborah Kavner (born September 7, 1950) is an Emmy Award-winning American actress, best known for her role as Brenda Morgenstern on Rhoda in the 1970s, as an actress in several Woody Allen-directed films, and for providing the voice of Marge Simpson on the animated television show The... An Officer and a Gentleman is a 1982 film which tells the story of a United States Navy aviation Officer Candidate who comes into conflict with the Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant who trains him. ... Lenford Lenny Leonard, MPhys is a fictional character in The Simpsons, voiced by Harry Shearer. ... This page provides information on characters on The Simpsons who do not have their own articles. ...

Cultural references

The title is a pun on The Eagles' song "Life in the Fast Lane," while the alternate title "Jacques to Be Wild" is a reference to Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild". Marge's dream resembles a dance number from The Gay Divorcee.^[1] The end scene, in which Marge walks into the power plant, and Homer carries her away, is a reference to the film An Officer and a Gentleman, and featurez the same music, "Up Where We Belong."^[1] The Eagles are an American rock music group that originally came together in Los Angeles, California in the early 1970s. ... Life in the Fast Lane is a song written by Joe Walsh, Glenn Frey and Don Henley and recorded by the American rock band Eagles for their 1977 album Hotel California. ... It has been suggested that The Sparrows be merged into this article or section. ... Born to Be Wild is a rock song written by Mars Bonfire. ... The Gay Divorcee is a 1934 film that was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. ... Oil power plant in Iraq A power station (also referred to as generating station or power plant) is a facility for the generation of electric power. ... Up Where We Belong is a song from the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman. ...

Reception

This episode won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less) in 1990, defeating fellow Simpsons episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", and becoming the first The Simpsons episode to win the award.^[6][9] In a 2000 Entertainment Weekly article, Matt Groening ranked this episode as his second favorite episode of all time, behind "Bart the Daredevil".^[3] Entertainment Weekly placed the episode twenty-first on their top 25 The Simpsons episode list, calling it "a showcase for the series' bedrock of character and heart."^[10] Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, called it "A very good, very assured episode that has seen some viewers (particularly female ones) tearing out their hair at the conclusion."^[1] IGN.com named Albert Brooks' guest performance in this episode, along with his four other appearances, the best guest appearance in the show's history.^[11] In a DVD review of the first season David B. Grelck gave the episode a rating of 4/5, placing it as, along with "Homer's Night Out", his favorite of the season.^[12]. Another DVD review from The Digital Bits called it "one of the first season's best loved episodes".^[8] An Emmy Award. ... Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire, also known as The Simpsons Christmas Special,[2] is the first episode of The Simpsons to air. ... Entertainment Weekly (sometimes abbreviated EW) is a magazine published by Time Inc. ... Matthew Abram Groening (born February 15, 1954[2] in Portland, Oregon;[3] his family name is pronounced ) is an Emmy Award-winning American cartoonist and the creator of The Simpsons,[4] Futurama and the weekly comic strip Life in Hell. ... Bart the Daredevil is the eighth episode of The Simpsons second season. ... IGN is the oldest and most visited general gaming website, and runs one of the most popular forums on the Internet. ... Homers Night Out is the tenth episode of The Simpsons from the first season. ... The Digital Bits (or [1]) is a DVD-related website, with daily updates about upcoming DVD releases, upcoming DVD cover art, reviews and every year they announce the winners of the Bitsy Awards. ...

Legacy

The March 15, 2004 edition of the Dear Abby column was pulled, as it had emerged that one of the letters was a fake. A newspaper editor noticed that the problem cited in the letter, was identical to the plot of "Life on the Fast Lane".^[13] Kathie Kerr, a spokeswoman for the Universal Press Syndicate stated that "It did sound too similar not to be a hoax".^[14] March 15 is the 74th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (75th in leap years). ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dear Abby is the most popular syndicated advice column which was founded in 1956 by Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips and is currently written by her daughter, Abigail Van Buren, also know as Jeanne Phillips. ... Universal Press Syndicate, an Andrews McMeel Universal company, provides syndication for a number of lifestyle and opinion columns, comics, and various other content. ...

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 126th day of the year (127th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 127th day of the year (128th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 126th day of the year (127th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 29 is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 126th day of the year (127th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 126th day of the year (127th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 127th day of the year (128th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 126th day of the year (127th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 126th day of the year (127th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

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"Life on the Fast Lane"

The Simpsons Portal

• "Life on the Fast Lane" at The Simpsons.com
• "Life on the Fast Lane" episode capsule at The Simpsons Archive
• "Life on the Fast Lane" at TV.com
• "Life on the Fast Lane" at the Internet Movie Database